The Best Black Friday Ebook Deals
Black Friday sales officially kick off on Friday, November 28, and run through Cyber Monday, December 1. Before they end, Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price tracking tools.
-
Subscribe to our blog to stay up to date with the best sales we find.
-
Check out our Editors’ Picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
-
Sign up for our Add to Cart shopping newsletter to get the best deals delivered to your inbox.
-
Sales data is current at the time of publication, but prices and stock levels are subject to change.
If you’re anything like me, you probably spend your entire workday staring at screens, then immediately turn on other screens when you get home to relax. I get it, but by the end of the day, this can be pretty hard on your eyes. So, I recommend investing in an e-reader. These devices provide the same instant access to content as traditional screens, but use special e-ink displays with real ink instead of LEDs, making them more relaxing and more like working with paper.
You’re probably familiar with the Kindle, but with so many e-readers on the market right now, Amazon might not be the best option for you. Here are the best e-reader deals this Black Friday: black-and-white, color, Android, and even phone-shaped e-readers.
The Best Kindle and Kobo
If you’re looking for an e-reader with a user-friendly interface that takes you directly to the store or your books, Amazon’s black-and-white Kindle and Rakuten’s black-and-white Kobo are likely your best bet. While these devices can still read your own files and even books from your library , they don’t offer the same diverse set of apps as a phone or iPad. However, for most people, they’re probably the easiest option and best suited for reading more traditional content, like novels.
There are several different versions of the Kindle, with the base model currently discounted by up to $80 on Black Friday . This model features a 6-inch screen, adjustable backlighting, and 16GB of storage, but lacks some perks, such as water resistance and adjustable color temperature. Additionally, ads appear on the lock screen, or you can opt for this option for $100 to disable them .
For additional benefits, consider upgrading to the Kindle Paperwhite . Prices currently start at $125. It increases the screen size to 7 inches, adds adjustable color temperature, and is waterproof. As with the basic Kindle, if you don’t want ads on the lock screen, you’ll need to upgrade to the $145 option .
If you’re looking for the most premium black-and-white e-reader on Amazon, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is the one for you. It costs $150 and offers all the same benefits as the standard Paperwhite, but with increased storage (32GB), wireless charging support, and a sensor for automatic brightness adjustment. It’s also ad-free by default, so it’s probably worth the $5 premium over the standard ad-free Paperwhite.
There are also children’s versions of both the standard Kindle and the Paperwhite , with identical hardware. The difference is that they come with six months of free Amazon Kids+ and are priced somewhere between the regular version and the ad-free adult version ($95 for the basic Kindle Kids version and $135 for the Paperwhite Kids). Furthermore, the children’s profile is ad-free, although some users have complained about ads in the adult profiles .
Finally, there’s only one black-and-white e-reader currently available for Rakuten devices: the Kobo Elipsa 2E . Priced at $350 and measuring 10.3 inches, it’s a cross between an e-reader and a digital notepad. It has 32GB of storage and a front light with adjustable color temperature. It also comes with a stylus and a few templates for taking simple notes that can be uploaded to Google Drive. The note-taking experience isn’t as robust as on Android devices or devices like the Remarkable Paper Pro , so I’d consider it more of an e-reader than a digital notepad. However, you can sync your notes to the cloud if you prefer, including Kobo’s own cloud storage or your Dropbox or Google Drive. Personally, I find this device best used for reading large-format books and occasionally jotting down notes, which may justify the higher price for some users. On the other hand, if you just want to read, it’s as intuitive to use as any Kindle.
The best color e-readers
Color e-readers are a relatively recent invention. They may seem like a simple improvement, but the truth is, they’re not for everyone. The color filter used to achieve this effect can make text a bit less crisp and add a distracting sheen even to black-and-white content. They’re also not particularly vibrant when displaying color content. But if you enjoy the occasional picture book or comic, they can be a great way to get a more realistic reading experience on paper than on a tablet like the iPad. Just keep in mind that they may not be the best choice for avid novel readers.
The best color e-reader on the market right now is arguably the Kindle Colorsoft . While it used to be quite expensive, it’s now available in two different configurations. The standard version currently costs $170 and comes with 16GB of storage and all the perks of the base Kindle Paperwhite (7-inch screen, water resistance, and adjustable color temperature backlighting). It also comes ad-free by default.
Meanwhile, the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition will set you back $230. It increases the storage to 32GB, supports wireless charging, and allows automatic backlight brightness adjustment. This is a significant premium for features that some users will likely ignore entirely, but since color content can be slightly more valuable than black-and-white (especially comics), it may be worth it, depending on what you read.
During my testing, I found the Kindle Colorsoft to have higher contrast than other color e-readers I’ve tried , and overall, the image quality was more paper-like. The high price initially discouraged me from recommending this device to most readers, but the new, more affordable model and Black Friday discounts make it an even more attractive purchase.
However, if you’re looking for a color e-reader outside of Amazon, the Kobo Libra Color is also on sale this Black Friday. Priced at $200, it’s somewhere between the base Kindle Colorsoft and the Signature Edition. For that price, you get a 7-inch screen, adjustable color temperature backlighting, 32GB of storage, water resistance, and a built-in pen with page-turn buttons. You can even buy a stylus for use with the same note-taking apps as the Elipsa 2E, although it may be a little less useful on such a small screen.
Overall, I found the Libra Color’s image quality to be a little worse than the Colorsoft , but the extra storage and page-turn buttons are perfectly acceptable for the price, and it doesn’t look much worse.
The best e-book readers for Android
Android e-readers are typically produced by smaller companies and are known for their versatility. With access to the same apps as smartphones, they can read Kindle books, browse the internet, download PDFs, and even access comic book apps from Marvel and DC. The downside is that they can be slightly slower than Kindle or Kobo devices, as Android is a more complex operating system, and those apps typically require a more responsive screen than e-readers.
This Black Friday, I found two book-sized Android e-readers on sale, both in color and made by Bigme.
A more affordable option is the Bigme B751C , currently priced at $245. It features a 7-inch display with adjustable color temperature and a handle with page-turning buttons on the left side. It comes with a generous 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM, which is essential for navigating Android. You’ll be running a slightly older version of Android, Android 11, which my colleague Joel Cunningham described as ” bloatware-laden ” in his review of the device. However, he appreciated the ability to customize the refresh rate so the E Ink screen works a little better with Android apps, and the openness of Android ultimately made him choose it over the Kindle Colorsoft.
For $279, you can get the newer Bigme B7 model, which features increased RAM to 8GB and built-in storage up to 128GB. The smartphone also runs Android 14 and should offer overall faster performance. It also features a 5-megapixel camera, which can be useful for scanning PDFs, and an included stylus with wireless charging that magnetically attaches to the right side of the device.
The Best Phone-Sized Ebook Readers
Finally, there are e-readers designed like smartphones. They also run on Android and tend to be more compact. They’re great for one-handed reading and can be useful for more in-depth social media browsing. I wouldn’t recommend using them to read an entire book, but they can be a good alternative to endlessly scrolling on a phone.
The Boox Palma 2 is a favorite in this segment, currently priced at $270. It features a 6.13-inch black-and-white display with a smartphone-like aspect ratio, and a front-facing backlight that supports both warm and cool color temperatures. It comes with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and Android 13 preinstalled. It also features a 16-megapixel camera for document scanning, a fingerprint scanner, and even a light sensor, similar to Amazon’s more expensive Kindle.
Alternatively, if you’re a big fan of AI, you might want to consider the Viwoods AiPaper Reader , which is currently on sale for $238. It also has a 6.13-inch black-and-white screen, but slightly less RAM than the Boox Palma—4GB instead of 6GB. It also lacks a camera, but it does support 4G with a SIM card. Probably the biggest missing feature is adjustable backlighting, but it still has a fingerprint scanner. A big plus is the built-in AI for answering questions about what you’re reading on the fly, though I can’t help but feel like this runs counter to the more thoughtful, less connected selling point of the e-reader.
The best digital notebooks
While some of the devices in this article can be used as digital notepads, only the Elipsa 2E is truly designed for this purpose, and even then, I find its functionality limited compared to other devices. Fortunately, if you want to use the E Ink screen for writing as well as reading, my colleague Joel Cunningham has compiled a list of the best digital notepad deals for Black Friday .
Does Amazon have Black Friday deals?
Yes, Amazon does have Black Friday sales, but the prices aren’t always accurate. Use a price tracker to make sure you’re getting the best deal, or consult guides like our price-tracking blog . And if you have an Amazon Prime subscription, make the most of it .
Which stores have the biggest discounts on Black Friday?
With both large retailers and small businesses competing for Black Friday shoppers, you can expect sales at virtually every store until Monday, December 1, 2025. The “best” discounts depend on your needs, but in general, the biggest discounts tend to be offered by large retailers that can afford lower prices, such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Home Depot. You can find all the best sales from major retailers on our blog .
How long do Black Friday deals actually last?
Black Friday sales officially begin on Friday, November 28, 2025, and will run throughout Cyber Week—the five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, December 1, 2025. However, the dates of Black Friday and Cyber Monday have been shifted as retailers compete for shoppers. You can take advantage of the same Black Friday deals early in the season , and we expect the sale to end by December 3, 2025.